Devin Obee, Duke baseball get 'assist' from rival UNC in win vs NC State at ACC Tournament

CHARLOTTE — Duke baseball got an assist from rival North Carolina on Thursday night at the ACC Tournament in Charlotte.

In the sixth inning, junior Devin Obee appeared to hit a double off the left-center field wall at Truist Field, but the play was reviewed and ruled a two-run home run.

Obee’s bomb was one of four homers for the 15th-ranked Blue Devils in an 8-1 victory against No. 14 N.C. State.

“I had no idea it was a home run. It was actually a cool story,” said Obee, who finished with two hits.

When Obee stopped at second base after the sixth-inning hit, assuming it was a double, sophomore catcher Roman DiGiacomo and freshman infielder Noah Murray got the attention of head coach Chris Pollard in the dugout.

“They looked out into the outfield and saw some fans cheering, saying, ‘home run, home run., home run,’” Obee said.

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Once Obee got back to center field in the bottom half of the frame, he found out those “fans” were members of the UNC baseball team.

“It was a pretty cool moment, getting to talk to those guys,” Obee said with a smile.

“The Tobacco Road rivalry for you, right there,” Pollard said. “An assist for the Carolina baseball team.”

Zac Morris hit a grand slam in a six-run fifth inning to break the game open and starting pitcher Andrew Healy pitched five scoreless innings for Duke (37-18), which will play Miami (27-29) on Saturday (5 p.m., ACC Network) for a spot in Sunday’s championship.

N.C. State (33-20), which had its five-game winning streak snapped, will head home to wait for Monday’s NCAA Tournament reveal. The Wolfpack entered Thursday’s game at No. 13 in the RPI, giving it a solid chance to host a regional as a top-16 seed.

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached atrbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.